Mold for casting blocks



` S. FLAM MOLD FOR. CASTING BLOCKS Filed Allg. 23 1922 BY jv m v TTORNEY".To all whom t may concern:

Paiented v17, 19625.A jUNlTED STATES f STEPHEN FLAI, OF GLENDALE,CALIFORNIA.

MOLD FOB CASTING BLOCKS. v

Be it known that I, STEPHEN FLAM, a citizen of the United States, andresiding in the city of Glendale, in the county of Los Angeles and Stateof California am the inventor of certain new and useful Improvements inMolds for Casting Blocks, of which f .e the following is a/specication.

' My invention relates to the `casting of blocks in collapsible moldsfrom plastic materials, such. as concrete. More articula'rly `inKinvention relates to a multiple collapsi le mold, arranged to be takenapart after the product is suiciently hardened so that it does notUrequire further support.4

Collapsible molds ofnthis character may be poured quite rapidly fromsuch material aswet concrete. fter the blocks are cast it isI necessaryto allow them to set for a relatively long period, such as a half day 4or a whole day. To accommodate all these blocks while they are beingldried a oomparatively large space is required. ,The more eflicient theplant is as regards speed ofcasting the more important it is to acqu-iremore and more space for accommodating 'the drying product. The problemof providing suicient space is still more acute i ltiple collapsiblemold so arranged that al where kiln drying is used. It is one of theobjects of my invention to provide a mulminimum of space is required forits accommodation both before and, after pouring.

'It is customer to assemble the multiple mold upon the at top of amovable car, which may be positioned below the discharging spout of aconcrete mixer. vIt is possible with the aid of my invention to utilizemost economically the top surface ofthe car; that is, it is possible tocast a greatmany more'v blocks on one car with the aid of my inventionthat has been done heretofore.

I quite considerably for wallsthat are pziered on the inside, as inordinary dwe Another important result that I accomplish with the aid ofmy invention is that the product is more homogeneous and-is v generallyof a better grade.

. Blocks of plastic material are now used When blocks asl heretoforemanufactured are used, it is essential to providea coating `of lasterbefore lapplying the paper, due tot e irregularity of the b ook surface.

` With the Aaid of my invention, this irregularit is obviated entireland it is quite feasi le tov apply the w paper directly to ings.-

i the' block surface without the necessity of using a coating ofplaster.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a collapsible moldthat may be very quickly assembled.

My invention possesses other advantageous features which vwill bepointed out in the following description, and' claimed specificallylinthe appended claims. Although I have shown in the drawings but oneembodiment of my\invention, it. is evident that it ma take many forms,and I do not desire to e limited to the form shown.

In the drawings: i

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a mold asassembled andready for pouring,except that only a few of the cores areshown;

Fig. 2 is a detail'view illustrating 4the manner of assembling thepartsof the mold;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a core which may be used in the mold;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the wedge forholding the core in placeand for expanding it so that it fits the apertures provided for itsnugly; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a block as manufactured by the mold.

The mold may be used either with or without cores, but in the presentinstance the cores are shown for completeness. The. mold is assembled ona flat bottom plate 11 which'may be the top surface of a car. In generalthe mold includes a series of flat parallel members 12 'and 13, and aseries of' flat parallel separating plates 14 having their planessubstantia ly perpendicular to those of members 12 and 13. The platealeare rovidedwithiiaps or projections 15 whic are adapted to4 enter intoappropriate narrow slots or apertures 16 in the members 12 and 13.'These plates may readily be formed by stamping from flat sheets of steelor iron or the like. By the aid of the projections 15, the s`u ortedbetween the members 12, 13.

ose flat lmer'nbersl which do not form plates 14 are properly the outerplates of the series are preferably spondin clearly shown in Fig. 2.Theend members 12 may be each formed of a single thin plate asindicatedon the drawing.

In the present instance two projections are shown on each edge of aseparating plate 14,

but it is ,of course evident that as many off the projection may be usedas is necessary' plastic material is made to have a maximum depth inlthe mold. Sincefthis vertical dilau mension may be somewhat large, theprojections 15 are purposely made numerous enough or long enough toperform their fuctions properly. The support ofA the plates 14 isduesolely to the engagement of these projections in the slots 16. It is notessential that these plates 14 form continuvous lines as shown, but itis preferable to place them that way for the sake of uniformity.

The casting of the product with example, the quality of the blocks isgreatly improved, due to the action of gravity upon thematerial whileitis still plastic. Furthermore all 'shrinkage in the process oi settingis taken up 1n the length of the lblock, and the width or'thickness ismain tained uniform. In prior systems thshrinkage is taken up in oney ofthe othe dimensions with the result that uniformity 'n the wallthickness could not be obtained.

The width of the blocks indthe present sys# temis accurately determinedby the spacing of members 12 and 13. When laid in a wal the in nersurface may be maintained true withoutb the necessity of plastering, andthe wall paper may be directly applied to the surface.. This results ina great savingin cost. Another advantage is that more blocks may -beaccommodated in the .same space, with an attendant saving of car spaceand kilns. In so f arl as this feature of the invention is concerned. itforms the subject matter of an earlier filed application in my name,Serial Number 463,258. filed April 21, 1921, and entitled Mold forcasting blocks. The present application is a continuation in part ofthis 'e-arlier application. V

It is customary, in order that the blocks' be as light in weight aspracticable, to pro(- vide cores for the mold, so that one or more holes21 may be produced in the block 22 after casting, as shown in Fig. 5.The blocks, if made light enough, or with lar enough holes, may betermed hollow t1 e l products, but herein the term block is used itslength, Ivertlcal gives rise to many advantages. lFor to denote anyvform of building material, whether solid or cored. In'my mold I provideappropriate apertures 19 in-'one of the series of parallel members, forexample in plates 14, for the reception of cores 20. In

Fig. 1 Ix showk but-'one core 2O in place but it is to be understoodvthat before pouring more cores are to be inserted to fill all of theapercore 20 and on opposite sides of the o-verf lapped seam. Thesedepending vanos may be conveniently formed from angle irons. The-freediameterof cores 20 is such that they may be easily inserted in theyapertures 19, and afterward expanded. When the cores are to be removedafter the blocks have been poured and they have set suiciently, thewedges 23 are driven out, and the` cores contractxdue -to theresiliencev of the material from which they are made It is then a simplematter to remove the cores.- In .v

order to enable the cores to contract more easily and separate fromtheblocks, I prefer `to`use a plurality of springs 25 at each end of thecores which are placed in tension when the wedges 23 are driven inplace, and act yto contract the core. These spri'n linked to each other,and at the end t at is -not linked they are anchored as byl means of thehooks oreyes 26 to the inside of the core 20. These springs arepreferably so designed that there is no appreciable tension placed onthem when the cores 20 are in their freecondition, but are placed inten- .'sion assoon as the core is expanded, and act with considerableforce to separate the core from the block while the wedges are beingdriven out.' A pair of springs are placed at each end of the core tosecure uniformity in the contraction of the core. vThis spring areconstruction assists in speeding up the assembly of the mold andseparating it from the cast material. Furthermore since it isunnecessary to resort. to hammering or the.

like for removing the cores, these" do not deteriorate appreci ably evenafter continued use.

In order to facilitate the assembly of the mold, I rovide for a lockingarrangement of the p ates 14 in the members 12 and 13. This arrangementin the resent instance is shown as a long rod or wlre 27 having handleportion 28, enga 'n apertures 1n` one of the ila e tion of t e rod 27makes it vimpossible for the flaps 15 on plates 14 to be pulled out ofthe slots 16. The rod is.` inserted` by hand into the aperture, of eachplate 14 as it is 15 of eac 'p ate 13. Thefinseras well as while Ait isin the s etting7 periodassembled' with the-members 12 and 13, andordinarily these plates are assembled in succession one behind the'other in the same row, so that each -of the rods 27 may be insertedthrough all the flaps which cooperate with it before another rod need bemanipulated. i

The manner of use of my invention is readily understood from theforegoing description. Due to the vertical 4`arrangement of the moldcompartments, a great vsaving in space is el'ected while pouringtheproduct,

within the mold. A homogeneous, dense product. is obtained, due to thedepth of casting. This is of' especial importance in wet concretecasting, since in the ordinary forms where the concrete has a depth theequivalent of the height of the block, a1r or water holes are apt tooccur. With the present larrangement such occurrences substantiallyvnever amount to serious defects. Another greatadvantage resides in thepossibility ol" obviatinof the need of applying plaster to the inside ofthe wall before the wall paper is placed thereon;I The' spring'construction at the endscf the cores 20 blocks from plastic material, aplurality 0% flat parallel plates, a plurality of flat separating plateshaving a plurality of proJeotions on each edge entering into aperturesIn the parallel plates, and a plurality of'cores extending through theseparating plates, the separating plates and parallel plates having aheight corresponding to the length of the block and forming verticalrectangular compartments througbh which the cores extend in a horizontaldirection, there being at least two cores in each compartment arrangedone above the other.

2. In a collapsible mold yfor forming blocks of plastic material, aseries or'l flat parallel lmembers forming `a plurality of rows, andseparating plates in the rows, each of the parallel members comprisin apair of thin plates and spacing strips i tween the plates, wherebyprojections formed on the edges of the separating plates may enter slotsformed in t e thin plates into the space formed between the pair ofplates.

3. In a mold :for forming blocks of plastic STEPHEN FLAM.

